I just threw this on the platter. Such an incredible album.2nd album.
The Esotar 3 tweeter is definitely a step up from the Esotar 2 in the Contour 20. The distortion seems to be even lower, reducing masking effects, and revealing extra detail. But it also sounds a little more airy as if the very top octave is a bit boosted relative to the Contour 20.
This was a good album to test the bass, which I'm still trying to get a handle on vs the Contour 20. It sounds to me like the Q factor is a little different, which affects the overall tuning / voicing.
The smaller box, though, doesn't seem to be hampering the ability to move a lot of air for the size. I could feel a breeze with my hand near the giant port hole, although I didn't hear any chuffing or farting.
I couldn't agree more. This song has a few things that are great for testing, including the spoken word, click, and instruments. It annoys my wife, so it is good for late night (now) and it is so sweet, with the way it is layered together. Glorious!"Georgio" is probably my favorite for demo purposes on that album. But I also just love the song, too.
I couldn't agree more. This song has a few things that are great for testing, including the spoken word, click, and instruments. It annoys my wife, so it is good for late night (now) and it is so sweet, with the way it is layered together. Glorious!
Sounds like they nailed these guys, not just with the external cabinets. I hope this final part goes well. If not, bass is easy. You can always throw in some DSP and Rythmiks if necessary.The Heritage Special nails the spoken word so part so well it's almost spooky.
And the even the click track has a snap and sharpness that makes it much closer to timing reference / metronome standard than it's usually rendered.
So I'm going to call the tweeter / upper mids / treble as good as I've ever heard for a dynamic direct radiator dome, in terms of detail resolution and distortion without ringing and fatiguing. I've never heard a better balance from a dome tweeter, including Be.
The bass is still interesting....I'll render final verdic after I play my own recordings of my double bass and electric bass.
I'll also share my impressions of the Contour 20i and Confidence 20 in comparison to the Heritage Specials. The Contour 20i seemed somewhat less resolving and slightly darker sounding. It also seemed to go a bit lower in the bass. This is not to say they weren't excellent speakers - I think I would have still been completely happy had I bought them. The Confidence 20 was substantially larger and heavier than the Heritage Special and also went quite a bit lower in the bass. The downward facing port might also make placement easier. Otherwise, at least to my untrained ears they sounded pretty similar to the Heritage Special. My shop was selling the demo pair for $2000 more than the Heritage Specials (I think $3000 off MSRP), and I admit that I considered it. For full price, it would have been really hard to justify.
I'm happy to answer any other questions. Also congrats to watchnerd on receiving his!
I just threw this on the platter. Such an incredible album.
I have a plan, executing this weekUh oh, #342.... @Lavawood may have to save up quicker.
Downsides? Not many. The styling is really traditional and may not be your thing if you like flashier design. Honestly I liked the look of the Contour 20i better, but the Heritage Special looks good in my somewhat retro-looking listening room and the craftsmanship is top rate. Also, if you're listening to compressed music or poor recordings, these speakers will quickly remind you of this. They will also expose flaws in weaker parts of your source chain. I like this level of resolution, but maybe you won't.
Steve Guttenberg just posted his "review".
It has some nice shots and video of the unit.
Obviously take his comments with salt, he sure means well.